Puppy survival thread. Cold nights in the garden ... yeah...no

[MakeMeCleanTheHouse]

The foghorn is sounding frequently and I suspect that's why I'm up enjoying the ambience of a foggy garden at 4am.

Hoping @BaconandAvocado is fast asleep and all the others with wide awake pups.

Gotta catch the squiggle!!!!

I'm feeling rough with a cold so not done much today and puppy has been a nightmare! Thought the nipping would have stopped by now!

@Aria20 love it!

@GuyFawkesDay fawkespup is looking so lovely and fluffy! Does he have show cocker in him? Mac’s isn’t coming in yet but he’s wcs with sprocker (springer/wcs).

@cheeseisthebest sorry you’re having a rough day. Hope you have wine!

Thank you. No but I do have drugs!

Legal ones!

Sorry that today has been rough, @cheeseisthebest. The nipping gets me down too. My pup seems to lose his mind in the evenings. He can be fine during the day, then the witching hour arrives and he goes slightly mad. I think in his case overexcitement is a result of overtiredness. So we're trying to be consistent with naps.

DH bought him a huge rope toy and the pup absolutely loves it. I thought it would be too big for him but evidently not. I think he views it as a challenge!

@TheBigMacDougal yes he's half show half working and is turning into a floofy beast 😂

Hugs @cheeseisthebest feel better soon.

The nipping is so wearing. FawkesPup jumps and nips at hands if he thinks there's food in them. He's lost 8 teeth now and got the adult ones and boy, he's been SO bitey this week.

We got a rubber Nd fur duck which is definitely worth the price tag as despite being played with constantly it looks new. Normally by now things look battered 😆

I have so many toys and treats and chews but nothing stops the crazy. Maybe it's just time and tiring him out more in the day. My son also quite disappointed that he won't cuddle up next to you or on your lap. He just jumps off! He's meant to be a lapdog!!

I have a broken spaniel. They're supposed to love tennis balls. Mine doesn't know what to do with one 🤦‍♀️

Lovely pics from everyone. I took pup to the beach tonight and decided hydrotherapy was the answer so threw the ball into the sea repeatedly. Lots of exercise with risking joints. We will gloss over the tearing up and down the beach after the terrier... he's now unconscious. We are getting up most nights to let him out for a wee. He's very quick and straight back to sleep but I wish he'd go through.

This is yesterday. Lovely sunshine and he dug out a hole to lie in whilst I sunbathed

I LOVE his collar @MakeMeCleanTheHouse!!

Hope you feel better soon @cheeseisthebest We all had THE cold a couple of weeks ago. Took pcr tests but all negative thankfully (although after seeing the news yesterday about testing who knows. Too late to retest now)

I thought the nipping and biting had calmed a bit here, but then he bit a hole in a blanket and DSs T-shirt so may be not. 🤦‍♀️

I refrained from buying more chews this week but foolishly bought some of the salmon oil to put on his dry food as a friend recommended it, and it smells so bad. I couldn’t sit next to him last night! I’ve not put it on his breakfast this morning and think I’ll stick to the minimum amount for now in just one meal.

Love seeing the pics of all the pups. They are getting so lovely and big! Our pup is now 3 times the weight he was when we got him and seems huge compared to photos just a few weeks ago.

Going to attempt a dog friendly cafe today whilst DD is at her drama class. Will have to tire him out with a walk first and am taking lots of chews to keep him occupied in the hope I’ll get a cuppa and a cake in peace.

So last 2 nights we've left crate door open so he can wander and sleep in the lounge if he wants too. Didn't hear a peep last night and came down to him just coming out of crate at 7 this morning. Any night spent in my bed is a bonus. He's super cuddly this morning and not barking or nipping.

I love dipping in to this thread with all the stories - so reassuring! I had the joy yesterday of leaving the house for a work meeting, only to find on my way I had a hole on my bum from where puppy had chewed without me knowing that was fun...!

@GuyFawkesDay where did you get the duck please? Billy definitely prefers his toys to look like dead animals 😂.

@cheeseisthebest you should have got a lab, Billy is 25kg of lap dog!

DS and Billy have been having great fun with their new games this week. DS opens all the doors downstairs and they run laps of the house. Eventually, Billy gets wise and runs the opposite way to catch DS and makes him jump 😂. They’ve also been plying hide and seek which appeals to Billy’s working instincts 🥰.

Omg 25kg! Don't think mine is even 5kg yet! He's actually snuggled up on the sofa with me and DS right now so that's nice. He's really calm and quiet. Wonder if the bedtime biscuit worked!

@567and what a gorgeous ball of fluff

@cheeseisthebest what a result 😊

Lol @graceandgratitude

DH is sandwiched between 7kg terrier and 20kg puppy on the sofa that he was never going to be allowed on

Has anybody used a doggy DNA breed/health test?

We bought a Cocker Spaniel after seeing the mother etc. She's now four months old and a wonderful puppy but we seriously doubt that she is a Cocker.

I don't want to sue or anything but I would like to know the truth.

The pup in question

I haven't but I met both parent dogs.

Why do you doubt it's a cocker? Lots of them have Springer in the bloodlines and can come out a bit oversized occasionally as s genetic throwback.

@LadyCatStark ours came from our local raw/natural dog supplier but this is him

www.bettyandbutch.co.uk/collections/dog-toys/products/push-to-mute-duck-dog-toy

@StopGo the colouring is more typical of a springer. Could be a cocker cross, but could also be a cocker with more unusual colouring?

@GuyFawkesDay @TheBigMacDougal thank you for the advice. The doubt is because people keep saying we've been conned and she's a Springer.

We waited a long time before committing to a dog. In four short weeks she has done more to help us as a family with our wellbeing following my DH's death during lockdown than anything else.

If the breeder offered a refund if we returned the puppy we would decline.

You can mute the squeaker, bonus!!!

@StopGowe know a cocker here with very similar colours, she's big too so think there's a bit of a throwback. There's so many working types (which yours clearly is!) With sprocker and Springer a generation or two back which throws up some variation. I met a cocker puppy this week same age as FawkesPup who was half his size.